Breaking Point
by TheRoyalCynic
Summary: Because we can't always be strong. When Hiro begins to feel overwhelmed, Baymax comes to his rescue once again... One-Shot. Edit: Baymax isn't the only one that's noticed. Now a series of loosely connected One-Shots.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, let me just go ahead and get this out of the way. This is my first fanfiction, ever. There is no beta, no other reader, only me. With that said, I apologize if there's any spelling errors, you feel like the story could have been better, etc. please leave a review or PM me or whatever it is you're supposed to do, and I'll try to improve in the future.**

**Anyways, I recently saw the movie for this, and I absolutely loved it. I thought it was such a cute movie, and I ended up writing this little one-shot about it. I somehow worked up the courage to actually post it on this site, and now here we are. Yeah, so let's see how this goes...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this movie or its characters in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to Steven Seagle and Duncan Rouleau.**

Hiro wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

Ever since he and the gang had managed to take down Callaghan, and eventually rebuilding Baymax, crime had seemed to nearly triple. There was always some sort of bank robbery, someone threatening to blow up a building, and last week someone had built army of, poorly built in Hiro's opinion, robots. They had been no problem for Big Hero 6 though. They were always there when they were needed, protected San Fransokyo with their lives and awesome tech. Nope, no trouble at all... At least not at first.

Accidents happened though. Their gear occasionally ended up needing repairs after a fight, and there was the regular maintenance to make sure everything was running smoothly. And take a guess at who was responsible for this?

Yours truly.

So here he was, in the middle of the night, hiding out in his garage trying to figure out why Wasabi's plasma blades were no longer activating. Fred's suit was resting in the corner of the room, partially charred due to a malfunction with the built in flamethrower. Next to it on a side table was a plate of untouched food. Aunt Cass had been kind enough to bring it in a few hours ago, hugging him goodnight before hurrying off to bed. Baymax had been deactivated and placed back into his box, allowing him to recharge and make his own needed repairs. The armor hadn't been enough to prevent air leaks from forming, and his battery had almost been dead by the time they had flown home.

Hiro was _alone_.

His eyes were heavy, and he wouldn't be surprised if he had more bags under his eyes when morning came. His body screamed in pain, sore from crashing into a brick wall earlier that day. He really needed to teach Baymax how to fly on his own. He was adding more bruises to his collection with each passing day, and it was a wonder how he wasn't completely black and blue at this point.

As sparks flew from the open component of the plasma blades, effectively frying a section within it, Hiro threw the screwdriver he had been holding across the garage, letting it bounce across the floor. It landed next to a pile of unfinished homework that had been building up for over a month now, most of the assignments either due in the next few days or late already.

He raked a hand through his shaggy black hair, growling in irritation.

"This is impossible." He muttered,

letting his head slam into the desk. "Wasabi needs these for the next time we get called out, and I need to finish that paper for mechanics by tomorrow morning. I want to run a few scans over Baymax's system but..."

There's never time anymore.

There was so much to do, so little time. He didn't want to worry his teammates anymore, wished he could spend more time with Aunt Cass because they were all each other had now, and hated seeing the disappointment in his teachers' eyes when he didn't have his assignment ready to turn in.

Tadashi could have done it.

Amazing, loveable, perfect Tadashi. Tadashi always found a way to do it. He could handle any problem, never had to worry about not being good enough. He could have helped Hiro with all his problems, put him at ease at least for a few moments so he didn't feel so useless. Tadashi's would have done a better job than him, at everything. Hiro should have been the one who died, friendless, clueless, useless Hiro.

"But Tadashi isn't here anymore." Hiro's smile was bittersweet as he gazed at a framed photo of the duo, with Tadashi's arm wrapped around Hiro in a tight hug, both grinning widely. The happy image was immediately replaced with a hauntingly familiar scene. A blazing building, with fire pouring out of every opening, threatening to collapse at any moment. His brother's panicked face, fear and determination reflected in his eyes. Tadashi disappearing into the flames. The explosion that ruined everything.

Something wet hit his hand, pulling him from his thoughts. He could feel the streaks running down his cheeks, water building up in the corner of his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he had been crying, and he didn't really care.

"Tadashi. Tadashi. _Tadashi_. Why did you have to leave? Didn't you know how much we needed you, how much I needed you?" He choked out, cradling his head in his knees.

"It hurts..." He murmured, trying to still his quivering body, quiet his sobs. The last thing he needed was Aunt Cass walking in on him when he was being a big crybaby.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt, Hiro?" Hiro's head snot up, whirling around to see Baymax staring blankly at him.

"Baymax? I thought you were offline. I didn't say ow or anything." Hiro's nose scrunched up, brows knitting together as they usually did when he was pondering something.

"I could sense your pain while I was in sleep mode. I activated myself to see why you were in pain." Baymax responded in the same monotone voice. "What is wrong, Hiro? My scanners show that there are no new physical injuries."

"My _heart_ hurts, Baymax." Hiro didn't expect the marshmallow-like robot to understand though. How could he? He was just a robot, one of the only things left that reminded him of his brother.

"My scanners show that you are experiencing anxiety, and your stress levels our high and your heartbeat is erratic."

"Just leave me alone. You can't just fix me. It's not that easy!" Hiro didn't mean to snap at the bot, didn't mean to scream at him. He was sick of that emotionless voice, sick of seeing one of his brother's greatest creation, seeing his brother's legacy.

It hurt _so much_.

Soft, rubbery arms wrapped around him tightly, enveloping him in a hug. He could've sworn he felt warmth coming from it's body.

"There, there. Everything will be alright." The bot reassured, squeezing tighter. "Tadashi is here." One of the hands rose, a plump finger pointing at his heart. That had done it. Hiro returned the embrace, crying freely in his robot's, no, friend's arms. The tears simply rolled down the elastic exterior, and Baymax gave no indication that it bothered him in the slightest. They stood there together for quite some time, the only sound being Hiro's sobs and the occasional comforting words Baymax provided. Eventually, Hiro's eyes began to droop, any energy he had had left now gone.

"Thank you for caring, Baymax." The boy whispered, before losing himself to sleep. The bot wiped away the tears still hanging on the teen's face, picking the boy up in his arms. He carried him up to his room, carefully placing him in his bed, and pulled the covers over the child. Hiro unconsciously wrapped the blankets tightly around him, burying his face in his pillow.

The bot hovered over him, almost hidden in the dark shadows of the room. Baymax was pleased to see that his heartbeat had settled into a steady rhythm, no sign of the previous stress remaining. Hiro needed the sleep, his energy levels dangerously low. When the child had broken down, something had called to him while he was offline, urging him to rush to the boy's side.

"Tadashi is here, Hiro, watching over you." The bot paused, "I am watching over you as well. I will not let anymore harm come to you." Something sparked in the bot that night, a sensation that he had felt every time he had seen the boy in danger. It was stronger this time, and it was a feeling he couldn't describe, wasn't in his database. It was still there though, even if he couldn't define it. The bot had wandered over to the secondary charging station located in the boy's room, and before he shut down he took one last look in the direction of the boy.

"I will protect you, Hiro. Always."


	2. Chapter 2: Fred

**AN: Well, I lied. What was originally meant to be an experimental one-shot has now evolved into a multi-shot filled with more fluff and bonding and all that good stuff. Anyways, this will now expand to, hopefully, all of the team members of Big Hero 6, and possibly a bonus character if we manage to get that far. **

**I'm actually a little surprised that people have already made this a favorite... and even more so by the number of views. It makes me happy to see that people are actually interested in what I've written. Let's keep it up, guys! Oh, and don't be a silent reader! I love getting feedback and everything. :3**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Big Hero 6 and its characters do not belong to me. **

Chapter 2: Fred

Now Fred knew a lot of things, unlike what most people believed. He knew how cool he looked while spinning a sign, he was you're go-to guy for anything and everything about superheroes/super-villains, and he was the most awesome mascot that San Fransokyo Institute of Technology had ever seen.

And he knew that he kicked butt in a monster suit better than anyone else.

He also knew that he wasn't as smart as the rest of his buds. He wasn't sure why he was included in the "nerd squad" as Hiro put it. He was just a dude who loved having fun and came up with the best nicknames.

Unlike some of his friends though, he was _definitely_ a people-person. He could talk to total strangers with ease, get a crowd pumped for a competition, and loved having an audience.

He was also a very empathetic individual, able to pick up someone's mood just from looking at them.

Which was why he knew that something was off the moment he stepped into Hiro's workshop. The kid was twirling a wrench in one hand, his head resting in the other. Baymax stood across from him, playing the video clips left behind by Tadashi. He could hear the echo of joyful cries of the cheerful boy as he celebrated Baymax's first successful trial.

Fred could see the small, bittersweet smile growing on Hiro's face as he stared almost lifelessly at the belly-screen. His eyes lacked their usual shine, instead replaced by dull, forlorn orbs. Seeing such a face on the kid almost made Fred want to hug him. _Almost_. He refrained for the moment, doubting that Hiro would welcome such a thing, reinforced by Hiro's past reactions to touching of any sort. However, he was determined to make sure to get rid of that depressing look.

"Yo, Hiro!" He called out with a small wave, his lips twitching up into his usual goofy grin. The boy broke out of his stupor, looking up and blinking at Fred before everything seemed to click back into reality.

"Um, hey Fred. I uh- didn't hear you come in." The boy stuttered out, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "What are you doing here anyways? I thought you left with everyone else?

"Nah, I had to hang back and help out with the Committee. Our first game this season is coming up soon." A partial truth. He wasn't required to go to the meetings, and even if he was, it's not like he really needed to do anything. He wasn't much for planning things out. After the first, and last, time that he was put in charge of something, the gym had ended up a disaster, and he was left on cleaning duty. He shuddered briefly at the thought. Never again.

The other reason for him remaining at the school, the main reason he realized, was because he couldn't bear the thought of the kid being locked up alone for hours on end. Hiro had made a habit of remaining in the labs until late at night, and one time he had actually stayed there until the next morning, much to the surprise of his comrades. The boy had been so caught up in his newest idea, that he hadn't even realized the time, and had fallen asleep at his desk. The rest of the squad had been making a habit leaving one member to stay and to chauffeur the boy home before it got too late.

"Really? Sounds boring." Hiro chirped, leaning back and his chair and stretching out his tired limbs. "You about to head out then?"

"Yeah, it's pretty late already. You should probably start packing up too, kid. You know how your Aunt is when you don't come home before eight." Fred's eyes looked towards Hiro, looking for any sort of reaction. He noticed a slight slump in the boy's shoulders, and the boy's eyes suddenly found the floor to be fascinating.

"You're right. I don't want to worry her again, especially after last time." Hiro sighed. Last time had resulted in a full-out panic on Aunt Cass' part, driving all over San Fransokyo in the middle of the night, sticking her head out the window and yelling his name, much to the annoyance of some of the late night patrons within the city. A few hours later, when she had just about given up, she had spotted the boy casually strolling down the street, humming a little tune. Turns out he had just stayed late at the labs that night, and his phone had been ruined thanks to a curious Baymax and hazardous fish tank. Needless to say, the flighty woman had _not_ been pleased, and the scolding Hiro had received as they had driven home was by far one of the worst.

"Good choice, little guy. I'll walk with ya there." Hiro opened his mouth to protest, probably going to tell Fred how he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and practically being an adult and that he was a _superhero_ for crying out loud, but Fred never gave him the chance.

"I just figured we could walk and talk, yeah? Better to have someone to talk to then just myself." Fred chuckled, "Don't know why, but people usually look at me funny when I do that." This got a small smile out of Hiro, but he still seemed somewhat reluctant. Fred decided to sweeten the deal.

"I bet that little cafe that you like is still open, maybe we can stop and get some hot chocolate. With whip cream and those little marshmallows~." Hiro's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and Fred turned to hide a growing smirk. The kid loved his sweets, something that probably came from living in a bakery, and the chocolate treat was a known favorite.

"You pay, and you got yourself a deal." Hiro finally said, quickly stuffing his belongings into his bag. Baymax shuffled behind him, offering assistance in the same monotone voice, but Hiro simply dismissed the med-bot and told him to go ahead and power down now. The bot nodded, moving to his charging station and holding box. The bot's eyes slid shut as it powered down, deflating much like the balloon he was and the box snapped shut, locking Baymax inside for now. Hiro grabbed the handle of the portable holder, turning back to Fred.

"Let's get out of here. The sooner we leave, the sooner I get my free drink!" Hiro cheered, shutting off the lights to his lab and locking the oversized door behind him as it slid shut.

**-(Line break)-**

The walk to the little shop had been rather uneventful. No one seemed to be out at this hour besides the duo, at least in this side of town. It wasn't too surprising really, it was Friday night, and most people would have flocked to the clubs and lower districts in the more shady part of San Fransokyo.

Fred and Hiro found themselves in the cozy cafe, a small local business that was on the corner of an intersection. The atmosphere within it was warm and peaceful, perfect for those who wished to escape the bustling world outside, at least for a little while.

The pair sat in a booth near the back of the shop, and there were only a few other patrons sitting across the room. Hiro seemed to have lulled back into his own thoughts, his eyes glazed over and staring unblinkingly at the foaming cup in his hands.

Fred wasn't sure what to say at this point. Even if he asked what was wrong, Hiro would simply shrug off the question and direct the conversation to something else, and if Fred tried to start a conversation, he would only get a short, generic response or a shrug in return. He was ready to call it a night and start escorting Hiro home, but it seems things were going to take a turn.

"Tadashi used to love this place, you know." Hiro began, his eyes still clouded over, looking at Fred but not truly focused.

"He was the one who found this place, back when he first started going to SFI. He ended up dragging me here with him the next morning, even though I was whining at him to let me go back to sleep." He let out a short bark of laughter, and Fred could help but think at how bitter and how un-Hiro it sounded. His stomach twisted internally and a frown found itself on his face as Hiro continued, oblivious to his friend's conflicting change in emotions.

"Even after we stepped through that door, I didn't see what was so great about this place. To me, it had just been another run-down and empty coffee shop that was due to go out of business eventually. It wasn't until after we left, and ended coming back a few days later, and then again and again and again, that I realized why Tadashi enjoyed coming here so much." Hiro propped his elbows up onto the table, resting his chin in his palms. His eyes now held a dull spark behind them, as if he was re-living those old, precious moments.

Fred leaned closer in order to hear. Hiro's voice had dropped to a hushed whisper, almost as if the words were a well-guarded secret that was now being passed onto him. Like they were hard to speak, but it was something that just needed to be said.

"It wasn't the shop. It wasn't the peace and quiet that it held, though I'm sure he liked that part." Hiro paused briefly, and Fred heard a audible gulp as the boy pressed on, "It was the memories that it held after all our visits. It was our special place, where we could goof off and work on homework and even just kick back and relax every once and awhile. It had become a spot just for us, and he loved that. And so did I. But after he died, I couldn't bring myself to come here again. Not without the old memories resurfacing. It just hurt too much. I figured I give it another chance tonight, but..." Hiro's voice trailed off, leaving only a heavy silence between the duo.

That explained why the kid had refused to come with Fred and the rest of the gang the last few times they had asked. When Tadashi had first started working on the micro-bots, along with everyone else, they had occasionally stopped by the quaint coffee shop. After the accident though, he always shot down any offers to come with to pick up some drinks to take back to the university. Why didn't he just say so before though?

As Fred turned his gaze back to the younger teen, he saw the tears swelling up in the boy's eyes, and the way his knuckles were turning white from the grip he now held on the table's edge. Hiro stared at him, studying his reactions and waiting for some sort of response, almost desperate for some kind of answer.

"That's deep, dude." Fred finally found his voice, and his mind reeled as he tried to find the right words. "I guess I should have known that was why you were avoiding this place lately, but I didn't even realize that- that you were struggling so much over it." Fred ran a hand through his messy mop of blonde hair, knocking his beanie to odd angle, leaving it hanging loosely on his head.

"I don't think you should just try to forget about this place though. That would be disrespecting your big bro in a way." Hiro looked up at him, shocked at his words, and his face flushed red with anger. Fred gave him a pointed look, a sign that he should just sit down and listen for just a little longer. He reached across the table, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder reassuringly.

"Your bro brought you here because he wanted it to be special for both of you, right? So why are you trying to run away from the good times that you had together here? That's not what your brother would have wanted. He would have wanted you to hang on to those memories to remember him, and to keep living those moments for both his sake and your own. That's my just my take on it though." Fred finished sheepishly, smiling slightly. His hand slipped off from its place on Hiro's shoulder as he began to pull back, only to be caught in a tight death-grip within a smaller hand.

"Do you really think so? Are you sure that that's what he would have wanted?" Hiro's whispered in a broken voice. His bangs shadowed his eyes, but they did nothing to hide the tears that were rolling down his cheeks.

"I wouldn't know for sure, because I'm not him. That's what I would have wanted for you though, so I think that he would've felt the same." Fred replied softly. The boy continued to sniffle across the table, unable to respond, and Fred gave him all the time that he needed. He had no reason to rush him. Eventually, the sobs died down, and the two sat there in the same position in silence for some time. Then Hiro stood up, pulling Fred up along with him, left a nice tip on the table for the waitress, and dragged him out the door in the direction of Hiro's home.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that, especially in public. It's just that it's still hard to think that Tadashi is gone, really and truly gone. A part of me still hangs on to that bit of hope that he'll come back, you know? It's stupid, I'm stupid, but..." Fred cut him off, not willing to let the boy start berating himself again.

"It's not stupid. We all know what we're going through. Tadashi was one of our best friends, and his death hit us hard. But we have to learn to accept it, because we can't just live in the past. We need to look towards the future, and find ways to keep the memory of them alive. He wouldn't want us to drag ourselves down because of this, and I'm not about to let you do that to yourself. We all care about you Hiro, and we're here for you. Try to keep that in mind, okay?" Hiro nodded in response, keeping close to the school mascot as they made their way down the brightly lit streets.

"Thank you..." He murmured, so quietly that Fred almost didn't hear it. But he was glad he did. He didn't hear that hollow, empty tone in the boy's words anymore.

As the two soon reached Hiro's home, they stopped in front of the bakery door. A thought suddenly popped into Fred's mind.

"So why did you decide to come with me tonight, after you kept refusing every other time we ask?" Fred questioned, looking down at the smaller teen. Hiro's cheeks flushed red as he smiled shyly, chuckling.

"Well... I guess it's because you kind of remind me of Tadashi in a way. You're goofy just like he was, and you're always looking out for the rest of us. You're like a caring older brother, I guess." Hiro ended with a small shrug, and looked up at Fred with those big brown orbs. He glad to see the familiar spark of life behind them again.

Fred really _did_ hug him this time, wrapping an arm around the boy and pulling him close.

"You know, I always wanted a younger brother." Fred grinned, "I guess I can play the big bro from now on, if you don't mind."

Hiro broke out into a wide smile at that.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that."

**Whelp. There you have it. I've always liked Fred's character just because of the way he acted. Granted, he may seem a little OOC in this, but I feel like he's not as dumb as most people would think. **

**So, if you're still interested in this little series, which character would you like to see in the next chapter? I have a rough idea for each of them, but I can't really decide who I want next. So why not leave it up to you guys? Let me know what you think. ^_^**


End file.
